Like any major sporting event, tickets for any Big Game can get a bit pricey. So too is the case with tickets to Major League Baseball’s 86th All-Star Game, which hits Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park in 25 days.
At last check, there were still tickets available for the July 12th All-Star Futures game, and the All-Star Legends & Celebrity softball game, if you were willing to plunk down $70 bucks for outer mezzanine seats.
Cheaptickets.com lists “cheap” tickets for the Home Run Derby, set for July 13, anywhere from $68 to … ulp… $9,800!
Somehow, tickets for the July 14 All-Star Game itself are actually cheaper, well, sorta, at $132 to $6,524. And if the current balloting races hold up, fans will see the National League All-Stars against … the Kansas City Royals.
If those prices have your chest caving in and your blood racing, here’s a relaxation technique to try: Breathe deeply. Relax. Think happy thoughts. Think of bunnies and rainbows.
There! There! Feel better?
Just know that there are still plenty of All-Star Game themed events for fans to enjoy, with ticket prices that will cause much less pain to your wallet.
Several thousand pop music fans swooped up tickets to see Ariana Grande and special guest Rixton for an All-Star Concert on Saturday July 11 at Paul Brown Stadium. The tickets were initially offered to Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals season ticket holders and event sponsors, but the rest were claimed in a matter of minutes when they went available to the public at 9 a.m. Thursday.
What? You missed out? (Happy thoughts, remember!)
FAN FEST
Perhaps your best bet is to order a ticket to the T-Mobile sponsored All-Star Fan Fest, which runs July 10-14 at the Duke Energy Convention Center which is located at 525 Elm St. in downtown Cincinnati. Tickets are now on sale for $35 for adults, $30 for kids under 12 years of age, senior citizens, college students with valid ID and military personnel.
Several Cincinnati Reds greats from the past, including Tommy Helms, Ron Oester, Dave Parker, Mario Soto, Eric Davis and Chris Sabo among others, will be on hand at various times. Major Leaguers Amos Otis, Luis Tiant, Rollie Fingers, Juan Marichal, Ferguson Jenkins, Andre Dawson, Bert Campaneris, Dave Winfield and others will also be on hand. Go to allstargame.com for the complete listing and schedule.
According to the website: “Fans can also participate in baseball training drills, test out their batting skills in the All-Star batting cages, view hometown memorabilia and artifacts from Reds’ history, along with a collection of official awards and trophies of Major League Baseball including the World Series, Home Run Derby and All-Star Game MVP trophy and have their photo taken with the World’s Largest Baseball signed by Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, Yogi Berra, Willie Mays and many others. In addition to daily giveaways, fans also have the opportunity to purchase official 2015 MLB All-Star Game souvenirs in the MLB Clubhouse Store.”
COLOR RUN MLB ALL-STAR 5K
Do you enjoy running to good music while people throw stuff all over you? Then Nike’s 2nd annual Color Run might be your thing. Cost is $50 for individual runners, or $45 per runner teamed in a four-person group. The untimed race starts at 9 a.m. at Sawyer Point Park, near the ball field, and runners will see team mascots and baseball legends as they wind their way around the 5-kilometer course.
Oh yeah. I almost forgot: Runners will be doused with a different color at each of the five kilometers of the run.
JR. RBI CLASSIC
Still not satisfied? Well, maybe the MLB Jr. RBI Classic baseball and softball tournaments will be fun.
Baseball teams made up of 11-12 year old youth from Ohio, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey and California, and youth softball teams from Ohio, Indiana and Alabama, will play a series of games July 10-13 at Cincinnati’s Proctor & Gamble Urban Youth Academy, on 2026 E. Seymour Ave., Hirsch Field at 3630 Reading Road, and Withrow Field, 2520 Madison Road in Cincinnati. A full schedule should soon be available at mlbcommunity.org.
WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT
Finally, if watching games and meeting baseball greats isn’t for you, maybe you’d just like to set a Guiness World Record instead. MLB, the Cincinnati Reds and Chevrolet are inviting interested participants to come out to the P&G Cincinnati MLB Urban Youth Academy (still at 2026 Seymour Ave.) to be among at least 250 pairs of young people (ages 8-18) to set the world record for the largest game of catch.
The overall event will be open to the general public, with those within the age range of 8-18 eligible to participate in the record-setting attempt. Space is limited so fans wishing to attend are encouraged to register at allstargame.com/catch.
So see?
There’s plenty of things to do during Major League Baseball’s All-Star festivities without taking out another mortgage. And if you can’t snare a ticket to the All-Star Game or HR Derby, don’t worry. They’ll both be televised as well.
